NHL Playoffs - Game 3
PHILADELPHIA -109 over N.Y. Rangers

BEST LINE: Betfair -109

 

OT included. We can’t stress enough how big that last victory at MSG to tie this series up was for the Flyers. Up 1-0 in the series and 2-0 early in the first period, the Rangers had an opportunity to break the spirit of the Flyers but instead the opposite occurred. Philly dug down as deep as they could and started rallying. They outplayed the Rangers the entire game and put the contest out of reach with a late goal to seal a 4-2 victory. Suddenly the Rangers momentum is gone and there are several other issues too. Brad Richards had a great game in the opener but he was back to being disinterested again in Game 2. Marty St. Louis is playing frustrated and while Rick Nash is playing well, he, too, is frustrated and can’t buy a goal. Now the Flyers get home ice and the matchups they want.

The Flyers potent and hard-working forwards imposed their will on the Rangers in Game 2. The Flyers top line of Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell has not peaked yet and could certainly have a big game here. The Flyers second line of Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and Matt Read are playing as good as any second unit in the game right now. Vincent LeCavalier, who played sparingly in Game 1, was a stabilizing force in Game 2 and he’s very likely going to be just as important the rest of the way. Additionally, the Flyers overcame six penalties in Game 2, which were twice as many as the Rangers took. With home ice advantage, there is no way we’ll see that discrepancy in penalties at Wells Fargo. Some insist that the Rangers took their foot off the pedal in Game 2 and will not suffer that fate again but we don’t see it that way at all. We see a Rangers team that scored two nice goals early but were getting beat to every loose puck the entire game, even at the start. We saw a Philadelphia team with more desire and much less doubt that the Rangers. We saw Ray Emery step up and Henrik Lundqvist get beat in areas he’s been weak in. We see a Flyers team that came well-prepped for Game 2 after making all the right adjustments and we don’t see that changing here.  



Our Pick

PHILADELPHIA -109 (Risking 2.18 units - To Win: 2.00)

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Chicago +167 over Ottawa